I trained both as a scientist and as a physician and, throughout my career, I have focused on the treatment and biology of ovarian cancer (OvCa). My Ph.D. thesis was on the role of proteases in ovarian cancer and my clinical fellowship involved a special emphasis on the treatment of patients with this disease. As a surgeon and clinician, I am familiar with the presentation of ovarian cancer in patients, and experience the incredible obstacles we face in its treatment. In the laboratory, I have built the research infrastructure necessary for effective ovarian cancer research.
The Lengyel lab has elucidated, at least in part, the first critical steps of ovarian cancer metastasis by paying close attention to the host microenvironment. We have collected the 25 most commonly used ovarian cancer cell lines from all over the world, including those which are chemotherapy resistant. We have established several mouse models for OvCa, and using a genetic mouse model (K-rasG12D/+/Pten-/- -- established by Dr. Tyler Jacks), a syngeneic orthotopic mouse model using mouse OvCa cells (ID8 -- established by K. Roby), and several xenograft ip models using primary and cultured human OvCa cells. I have also established a prospective OvCa tissue bank and, together with 2 gynecologic pathologists, we have assembled 13 tissue arrays including normal tissue, borderline tumor and primary tumor, & corresponding metastasis. As a surgeon, the main focus of my practice is patients with OvCa; therefore, I will be able to enroll a substantial number of patients on the proposed clinical trial and have the infrastructure in place to collect the tissue required for the translational studies.
My clinical experience treating ovarian cancer, together with my laboratory, which focuses on OvCa biology, gives me a unique opportunity and obligation to find new treatments that can benefit patients with ovarian cancer.
University of Munich
Munich
M.D. - M.D.
1992
Genomic Landscapes of Endometrioid and Mucinous Ovarian Cancers and Morphologically Similar Tumor Types.
Genomic Landscapes of Endometrioid and Mucinous Ovarian Cancers and Morphologically Similar Tumor Types. Cancer Res Commun. 2025 Nov 01; 5(11):1952-1966.
PMID: 40981433
Selective Alanine Transporter Utilization Is a Therapeutic Vulnerability in ARID1A-Mutant Ovarian Cancer.
Selective Alanine Transporter Utilization Is a Therapeutic Vulnerability in ARID1A-Mutant Ovarian Cancer. Cancer Res. 2025 Sep 15; 85(18):3471-3489.
PMID: 40658600
Integration of cell-type resolved spatial proteomics and transcriptomics reveals novel mechanisms in early ovarian cancer.
Integration of cell-type resolved spatial proteomics and transcriptomics reveals novel mechanisms in early ovarian cancer. medRxiv. 2025 Aug 28.
PMID: 40909841
Navitoclax, a Bcl-2/xL Inhibitor, and YM155, a Survivin Inhibitor, in Combination with Carboplatin, Effectively Inhibit Ovarian Cancer Tumor Growth.
Navitoclax, a Bcl-2/xL Inhibitor, and YM155, a Survivin Inhibitor, in Combination with Carboplatin, Effectively Inhibit Ovarian Cancer Tumor Growth. Mol Cancer Ther. 2025 Aug 01; 24(8):1252-1264.
PMID: 40293279
NNMT inhibition in cancer-associated fibroblasts restores antitumour immunity.
NNMT inhibition in cancer-associated fibroblasts restores antitumour immunity. Nature. 2025 Sep; 645(8082):1051-1059.
PMID: 40702186
Hybrid artificial intelligence echogenic components-based diagnosis of adnexal masses on ultrasound.
Hybrid artificial intelligence echogenic components-based diagnosis of adnexal masses on ultrasound. Med Phys. 2025 Jul; 52(7):e17983.
PMID: 40665507
The Ultrasonography Characteristics of Borderline Ovarian Tumor Subtypes.
The Ultrasonography Characteristics of Borderline Ovarian Tumor Subtypes. J Ultrasound Med. 2025 Nov; 44(11):2133-2146.
PMID: 40586438
Spatial proteo-transcriptomic profiling reveals the molecular landscape of borderline ovarian tumors and their invasive progression.
Spatial proteo-transcriptomic profiling reveals the molecular landscape of borderline ovarian tumors and their invasive progression. Cancer Cell. 2025 Aug 11; 43(8):1495-1511.e7.
PMID: 40578359
A Proteogenomic View of Synchronous Endometrioid Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer.
A Proteogenomic View of Synchronous Endometrioid Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Jun 03; 31(11):2230-2240.
PMID: 40145935
Adaptive immune response and PD-1/ PD-L1 status in chemotherapy treated high grade serous carcinoma is dependent on chemotherapy response score.
Adaptive immune response and PD-1/ PD-L1 status in chemotherapy treated high grade serous carcinoma is dependent on chemotherapy response score. Hum Pathol. 2025 May; 159:105800.
PMID: 40389122